Chapter 6: Types of Financial Benefits – Am I Eligible? Financial Benefits/Resources: Felons convicted of certain drug-related offenses are not eligible for SNAP benefits. Individuals disqualified for fraud are ineligible for one year for the first offense, two years for the second offense, and permanently for the third. Dependents of disqualified or ineligible individuals may be eligible. https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/forfamilies/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap/supplemental-nutritionassistance-program-snap-eligibility-information.html What is Expungement? Expungement is a court-ordered process where the legal record of some criminal cases can be erased in the eyes of the law. https://www.tncourts.gov/expungements Reentry Screening Tool: Find Out if Your Charges Can Be Removed from Your Record The Reentry Program for the Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, in partnership with the Georgetown University Law Center, developed a Tennessee Expungement Eligibility Assessment web-based app to increase access to self-help expungement eligibility information. This app will tell you what things on your criminal record you may be able to have taken off your record. This is also known as an expungement. Once you answer all of the questions, the app will tell you what expungements you might be eligible for. You can have your answers sent to an email address so that you have proof of the report. A copy will also be sent to a legal expert with the Legal Aid Society. Expungement can help you get a job, find housing, get student loans, or access other opportunities that were previously not an option because of criminal convictions or charges. Expungement allows you to legally deny an incident, arrest, or conviction that occurred for charges that have been expunged. https://las.org/reentry-screening/ SSI/SSDI: Although you cannot receive monthly Social Security benefits while you are incarcerated, benefits to your spouse or children will continue as long as they remain eligible. If you are receiving SSI, the social security administration office will suspend your payments while you're in prison. Your payments can start again in the month you are released. https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10133.pdf
13
